At about 11:50 a.m., authorities received a 911 call that a man had been arguing with a woman at a duplex apartment on West Beach Road when he allegedly pulled out a gun and began pointing it at people, according to Island County Sheriff’s Office deputy Lt. Mike Hawley.

First on the scene, Hawley said he learned from witnesses that the two neighbors were quarreling when the man, who has not yet been identified, allegedly struck the woman in the face. It is not yet clear why but the situation escalated from there.

“At some point, he produced a 9 mm handgun,” Hawley said.

Apparently, the woman ran back into her home and hid in the closet, while the suspected gun-wielding assailant retreated back into his home and locked himself in a bedroom.

Hawley said he and several other officers began evacuating neighbors on either side of the duplex and closed down a section of West Beach Road, from Fort Nugent to Hastie Lake road.

While a negotiator from the sheriff’s office was called in, so too was the department’s Hard Entry and Arrest Team, also know as HEAT. Taking cover behind an Oak Harbor Police Department armored vehicle, the team moved in to rescue the woman.

Andrea Kahkonen, who lives across the street, watched the dramatic event from her upstairs window.

“It was like ‘COPS’ (the television show) live right in front of my house,” she said.

“They broke through the fence and got the lady out,” Kahkonen said.

According to Hawley, the alleged victim was immediately transported to Whidbey General Hospital. While she was injured, he said they did not appear to be life-threatening.

“She’d been punched in the face several times,” Hawley said.

A short time later, the man willing gave himself up and was taken into police custody without incident. Hawley said the two and a half-hour standoff ended with a text book outcome that was more than satisfactory.

“It actually worked out about the way it was supposed to,” he said.

Hawley extended his thanks to the Oak Harbor Police Department and the Washington State Patrol. Both made great contributions that helped facilitate a peaceful ending.